Hearings regarding the communist infiltration of the motion picture industry. Hearings before the Committee on Un-American Activities, House of Representatives, Eightieth Congress, first session. Public law 601 (section 121, subsection Q (1947)

10 COMMUNISM IN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY guards of propagandists nad infiltrationists were scarcely noticed at lirst. They got in their first licks quietly, came into the open only when they were ready to spring the trap. Heedless peoples suddenly woke up to find themselves slaves to dictatorships imposed by skillful and willful groups. I believe the first line of defense against this familiar pattern is an enlightened public. People aware of threats to their freedom cannot be victimized by the divide-and-conquer policies used by Hitler and his counterparts. It is my firm conviction that the free American screen has taken its rightful place with the free American press in the first line of defense. Ideological termites have burrowed into many American industries, organizations, and societies. Wherever they may be, I say let us dig them out and get rid of them. My brothers and I will be happy to subscribe generously to a pest-removal fund. We are willing to establish such a fund to ship to Russia the people who don't like our American system of government and prefer the communistic system to ours. That's how strongly we feel about the subversives who want to overthrow our free American system. If there are Communists in our industry, or any other industry, organization, or society who seek to undermine our free institutions, let's find out about it and know who they are. Let the record be spread clear, for all to read and judge. The public is entitled to know the facts. And the motion-picture industry is entitled to have the public know the facts. Our comjDany is keenly aware of its responsibilities to keep its product free from subversive poisons. With all the vision at my command, I scrutinize the planning and production of our motion pictures. It is my firm belief that there is not a Warner Bros, picture that can fairly be judged to be hostile to our country, or communistic in tone or purpose. Many charges, including the fantasy of "White House pressure" have been leveled at our wartime production Mission to Moscow. In my previous appearance before members of this' committee, I explained the origin and purposes of Mission to Moscow. That picture was made when our country was fighting for its existence, with Russia as one of our allies. It was made to fulfill the same wartime purpose for which we made such other pictures as Air Force, This Is the Arm}', Objective Burma, Destination Tokyo, Action in the North Atlantic, and a great many more. If making Mission to Moscow in 1912 was a subversive activity, then the American Liberty ships which carried food and guns to Russian allies and the American naval vessels which convoyed them were likewise engaged in subversive activities. The picture was made only to help a desperate war effort and not for posterity. The Warner Bros, interest in the preservation of the American way of life is no new thing with our company. Ever since we began making motion pictures we have fostered American ideals and done what we could to protect them. Not content with merely warning against dangers to our free system, Warner Bros, has practiced a policy of positive Americanism. We have gone, and will continue to go, to all ]:)ossible lengths to iterate and reiterate the realities and advantages of America.